Red Deer residents unhappy about gas prices, but still put fuel in the tank

Rising gas prices may make some people think twice about filling up, but its hard to avoid driving according to some Red Deer residents.

After ballooning to highs of $1.379 a litre earlier in the week, some were thankful that prices had crept back down to $1.269 at most gas stations in Red Deer.

But Gary Cruickshank and Jack Straw weren’t too happy about the prices either. They were filling up a hot rod Friday morning.

“It means us retired old guys have to spend more money,” said Cruickshank. “We’re old and we drive our cars. We don’t have kids or mortgages. But we don’t like it, not one little bit.”

Cruickshank didn’t have much gas to go to fill his tank, which was satisfied with about $20 worth of gas. Most of the time a fillup costs him between $50 and $60.

By the time Evelyn Gray and Wayne Lind had filled up their Dodge Ram truck, the price tag hit $120. Lind said it used to cost them $100 to $105 to fill it up.

“This is Alberta, aren’t we the place that supplies the gas in the first place,” said Gray. “I pick and choose where I buy gas. I’ll go wherever it may be a few cents cheaper, but it all adds up.”

Lind simply called gas prices “ridiculous.”

Johan Steenwyk offered some perspective, even though he isn’t happy about having to fill up for $1.269 a litre it’s still a lot less than what it would have cost him if he still lived in Europe.

“It’s hard to swallow, but coming from Europe where we used to pay $2.20 it’s not too bad,” said Steenwyk. “But it’s getting expensive.”

Steenwyk came to Canada from Holland in 1985 and hasn’t looked back. He said he “somewhat” changes his driving habits if the price gets too high.

“You have to drive, this is Canada,” said Steenwyk. “Unfortunately you can’t just cycle everywhere. Driving is a necessity here, in Europe it’s not. You can’t function here without a vehicle.”

According to GasBuddy.com most gas stations in Red Deer Friday afternoon had gas at $1.269 a litre. According to the site’s gas price charts, prices across Canada are almost the highest they have been over the last 18 months at about $1.358 a litre.